Lock seal



Patented .lune 27,7. 11933 UNITED 's'lue'ras FREDERICK W. namvcnnn, or ELMHURST, NEW Yonx, AssIGNon mo A. man.

COMPANY, or NEW Yoan, N. Y., A conrona'rIoN or NEW Yoan LOCK SEAL This invention relates to lock seals for use in connection with various articles in which it may be desirable to guard against opening without detection. i

lt is an object of the invention to provide a seal which shall be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, but which shall provide adequate safeguards againstopening or removal without detection. 4Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown `in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a section through one of the seal members.

Figure 2 is a section through the other seal member.

Figure 3 is -an enlarged section through the seal taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4, showing the members locked together.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the seal. Referring to the drawing, the seal comprises two mating members 1 and 2. The members. are preferably made of sheet metal and may be of anvfdesired shape, but are preferably round, as illustrated, for convenience in manufacture and in operation.

The member 1 is substantially cup shaped, having a bottom disk 3, tubular side walls 4 and a lip or iiange 5 extending laterally from the upper edge of the side walls. Between the disk 3 and the side walls 4 is formed a bead or flange 6 providing a shoulderv for purposes hereinafter set forth.A

The lmember. 2 is somewhat similar in shape, having tubular side walls 8 terminating in a lip or flange 9, but instead of a bottom disk, the metal is cut and bent back as illustrated in Figure 4 to form a plurality of resilient prongs 10, which, when the members 1 and 2 are forced into en agement as illustrated, engage the bead 7, t us locking the members together.

In use, the members 1 and 2 are inserted Ain suitable apertures in the material to which they are to be secured, and the friction of the material against the Atubular side walls 4 yand 8, respectively, is ordinarily sufficient to I retain the members. If desired, however,

the members may be positively retained by small nibs 12. In the embodiment illustrated, these nibs are shown as applied tothe iiange 9 only, but it will be understood that Vthey may also be applied to the flange 5 if 55 desired.

In applying the members to an article such as an envelope, for example, in which only Y one of the members needs to be exposed, the

member 1 is preferably the exposed member, 60 the member 2'being placed inside the envelope where it is less accessible to tampering. Furthermore, the flange 5 is' preferably provided with a weakened portion 11, which lis easily broken in the event that it is attempted to pry the members apart thus indicating at once that the seal has been opened.

A similar weakened portion may be provided in the ange 9, if desired, as for exam le, when the seals are used in such manner t at both members 1 and 2 are exposed.

When it is desired to lock the seal, the two members are forced into engagement in the manner illustrated, the tubular portion 4 of the member 1 being inserted in the tubular portion 8 of the member 2 in telescoped relation, the prongs 10snapping into place behind the vbead 6 so as to prevent separation r thereafter. Due to the fact that the member 1 is imperforate, it is impossible to tamper with the prongs from that side, and since the space between the tubular portion 4 and the member 2 is very small, it is difficult to tamper with the prongs from the other side. Moreover, as previously explained, in most cases, this side is enclosed and is not accessible to tampering in any event.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention: 1 1. A lock seal comprising two-interengaging parts, one of said parts comprising a. flange, a tubular portion substantially perpendicular thereto, a disk closing the end of 95, said tubular portion remote from said flange,

a bead having a substantially horizontal shoulder extending laterally from said tubular portion adjacent said disk, and the other of said parts comprising a flange, a. 109

soA

solid, continuous tubular portion substantially perpendicular thereto and extending to- .ward the flange of said first named part, the diameter of said last named tubular portion being slightly larger than that of the first named tubular portion in order that the said tubular portions may be telescoped, said second named tubular portion having a plurality of prongs bent inwardly and backwardly from the edge of said tubular portion remote from the flange so that the leading edges of said prongs engage the shoulder of said bead when the tubular portions are telescoped.

2. A lock seal comprising two interengaging parts, one of said parts comprising a flange, a tubular portion substantially perpendicular thereto, a bead having a substantially horizontal shoulder extending laterally from said tubular ortion near the end thereof remote from said ange', and the .other of said parts comprising a flange, a solid, continuous tubular portion substan-v tially erpendicular thereto and extending toward) the flange of said first named part, the diameter of said last named tubular portion being slightly larger than that of the first named tubular portion in order that the Lampes edges of said prongs engage the shoulders of said bead when thetubular portions are telescoped. Y

3. A. lock seal comprising two interengaging parts, one of said parts comprising aV flange, a neck connected to said flange, a bead having a substantially horizontal shoulder extending laterally from said neck near the end thereof remote from said flange, and the other of said parts comprising a solid, continuous tubular member having a diameter sli htly larger than that of said bead, a plura ity of prongs extending inwardly and backwardly from the edge of said tubular portion nearest said flange of said first named part, so that the leading edges of said prongs engage the shoulders of said bead when said parts are telescoped.

l'n testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification this sixteenth day of November 1932. 1

i I lFREDERICK W. LAENCMR. 

